Available on print newsstands June 26 and as a fully interactive e-magazine available on the App Store June 15.

June 13, 2012

National Geographic Magazine, June 2012

Special Content for iPad Edition Includes:

How Did the Easter Island Statues Move? video and interactive – See a video of the various theories put forth over the years regarding how the statues on Easter Island were transported across the island; tap to see descriptions and sketches of the different theories.

The Last Speakers audio – Hear audio clips of some of the last speakers of endangered Native American languages, including Chemehuevi (Arizona), Euchee (Oklahoma), Hupa (California), Karuk (Arizona), Wintu (California) and Washoe (California).

Languages at Risk map – Tap on the map to see language “hotspots”, identified by linguists as regions with high linguistic diversity, severe endangerment, and lack of documentation.

360 View of Mount Erebus Ice Cave – Tap on the screen for a 360-degree view of an ice cave in Antarctica’s Mount Erebus volcano

Writers and photographers are available for interviews June 15-July 15 (see specifics below).

Feature Stories:The Riddle of Easter Island (cover story), by Hannah Bloch, photographed by Randy Olson (Page 30). When the Rapanui – Easter Island’s indigenous population – moved their legendary statues of volcanic rock in to place centuries ago, they did it without wheels or draft animals. How this was done over distances as long as 11 miles has been one of the island’s persistent mysteries. Last year, archaeologists Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo, supported by a National Geographic grant, demonstrated how the statues could have been “walked” in to place by as few as 18 people. National Geographic magazine’s editor for mission projects, Hannah Bloch, delves into the history and culture of the island, which is both challenged and invigorated by the effects of tourism. Bloch and Olson are available for interviews.

Epic Storms, by Jeremy Berlin, photographed by Mitch Dobrowner (Page 50). Violent storms can kill people and animals, destroy crops and property, flood roads and towns. Yet, they give, too, delivering rain to parched earth, wind to turbines and nitrogen to the soil. To document these awe-inspiring tempests, landscape photographer Mitch Dobrowner teamed with renowned storm chaser Roger Hill, stalking some 40,000 miles, for three years. Dobrowner’s favorite subjects are supercells: the “rarest and mightiest of thunderstorms” that appear like “a hovering spaceship.” Berlin and Dobrownerare available for interviews.

Vanishing Voices, by Russ Rymer, photographed by Lynn Johnson (Page 60). One language dies every 14 days. By the next century nearly half of the 7,000 languages spoken on earth will likely disappear. Russ Rymer journeyed to the remote Republic of Tuva in Russia, to the northeasternmost hamlets of India and to the Sonoran desert of Mexico to learn how the languages of Tuvan, Aka and Seri can express concepts that Russian, Hindi, and Spanish cannot. Lynn Johnson’s photographs manage to meet a remarkable challenge: How does one visualize a story about the spoken word? Rymer and Johnson are available for interviews.

Antarctic Fire, by Olivia Judson, photographed by Carsten Peter (Page 94). Author Olivia Judson and photographer Carsten Peter traveled to Mount Erebus in Antarctica,
one of the coldest spots on earth – but also one of blistering heat. Mount Erebus
is an active volcano that boasts a permanent lava lake. Judson reports on the fascinating research being performed in this topsy-turvy world, where weird microbes manage to thrive in the volcano’s hot, dry soil. Peter captures the microbiologists at work as they attempt to unlock the mystery of these organisms in one of the most extreme places on the planet. Judson and Peter are available for interviews.

Russian Summer, by Cathy Newman, photographed by Jonas Bendiksen (Page 116). During Russia’s famously short summers, its citizens flee the cities for dachas, summer cottages far different from the drab apartment buildings of Moscow or St. Petersburg. “At the dacha,” writes Cathy Newman, “the soul of Russia – and its cultural divide – is on display.” The small gardens of berries, potatoes, cucumbers and dill next to traditional dachas contrast sharply with the helicopter landing pads and yacht clubs that are the amenities for more recent dacha iterations that resemble faux chateaux. Yet, whatever the style of the dacha, it’s a place to relax, ponder life, party, cherish the company of family and friends, reconnect with the soil and restore one’s soul. Newman and Bendiksen are available for interviews.

National Geographic magazine has a long tradition of combining on-the-ground reporting with award-winning photography to inform people about life on our planet. It won a National Magazine Award in 2012 for best tablet edition as well as a further 13 National Magazine Awards in the past five years: for Magazine of the Year and Single-Topic Issue in 2011; for General Excellence, Photojournalism and Essays, plus two Digital Media Awards for Best Photography and Best Community, in 2010; for Photojournalism in 2009; for General Excellence, Photojournalism and Reporting in 2008; and for General Excellence and Photography in 2007.
The magazine is the official journal of the National Geographic Society, one of the world’s largest nonprofit education and scientific organizations. Published in English and 33 local-language editions, the magazine has a global circulation of around 8 million. It is sent out each month to National Geographic members and is available on newsstands for $5.99 a copy. Single copies can be ordered by calling (800) NGS-LINE, also the number to call for membership to the Society.